Crypto Scam Artist Obliged To Pay $1.2M For NFT Theft By Impersonating Apple Support

Share This Post

In the latest crypto investigation by US authorities, a Los Angeles man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to his victims for orchestrating a series of scams in which he posed as an Apple support representative and stole non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrency.

Amir Hossein Golshan, age 25, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered him to pay $1,218,526 in restitution.

Unmasking The Scam

According to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) press release, Golshan’s crimes, which involved subscriber identity module (SIM) swapping and social media account takeovers, targeted hundreds of victims over several years and caused approximately $740,000 in losses

By fraudulently inducing victims to disclose personal information, including their SIM card details and two-factor authentication codes, Golshan gained unauthorized access to their digital accounts. 

The investigation further alleges that Golshan then stole valuable digital assets, including NFTs and cryptocurrency. As a result, Golshan caused significant “financial harm” to his victims.

The Department of Justice highlighted the severity of Golshan’s actions, stating that his crimes went beyond mere monetary theft. Prosecutors argued that Golshan’s wanton cruelty inflicted constant fear and worry upon his victims, demonstrating a “complete lack of respect” for the law and basic human dignity.

Stealing NFTs And Crypto Worth Thousands

According to the DOJ, Golshan’s fraudulent tactics included impersonating Apple support personnel, allowing him to access victims’ Apple iCloud accounts

Golshan defrauded multiple individuals through this scheme and stole NFTs, cryptocurrency, and other valuable digital property. Golshan’s actions caused five victims to suffer losses ranging from $2,000 to $389,000 each.

One example of Golshan’s modus operandi involved calling a victim from Apple Support’s official telephone number, falsely claiming to be an Apple Support employee. 

Golshan then convinced the victim to disclose a two-step authentication code, granting him unauthorized access to the victim’s iCloud account. Subsequently, Golshan changed the account’s email address and proceeded to steal the victim’s NFT worth approximately $319,000, along with roughly $70,000 worth of crypto assets. 

According to the DOJ’s investigation, Golshan later sold the stolen NFT on an NFT marketplace for $130,000 in crypto.

Crypto

According to CoinGecko data, the current market capitalization of the global cryptocurrency market stands at $1.47 trillion, reflecting a 0.99% change over the last 24 hours and a significant 72.08% change compared to one year ago. 

Bitcoin (BTC) currently holds a market cap of $730 billion, accounting for a dominant 49.58% share of the overall cryptocurrency market while continuing to trade in its established range between $36,500 and $37,500.

In contrast, Stablecoins holds a market cap of $129 billion, representing an 8.78% share of the total crypto market capitalization.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

Read Entire Article
spot_img
- Advertisement -spot_img

Related Posts

Meme Coin Showdown: Token Mill vs. Pump.fun in the Battle for Meme Coin Supremacy

While Pumpfun shattered records and set the standard for meme coin creation, it has glaring flaws Token Mill aims to fix these problems, and add additional functionality This piece is a guest post by

Chainlink Rockets 20%: Whale Activity Sparks Break From Bear Trend

Chainlink (LINK) is experiencing significant growth in the cryptocurrency sector, with a 20% increase in value in just one week and a potential change in its long-term trajectory Related Reading: XRP

Cardano Whales Holding $10M ADA Grow Positions by 420%, Time to Buy?

The post Cardano Whales Holding $10M ADA Grow Positions by 420%, Time to Buy appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News Cardano (ADA) has made a wild move in the past few days and has gained notable

1inch Launches Fusion+, A Cross-Chain Swapping Solution for Decentralized Transactions

1inch, a decentralized finance (defi) platform, has officially rolled out Fusion+, a cross-chain swapping tool designed to enhance the security and simplicity of decentralized transactions Fusion+ by

XRP Price To $28: Wave Analysis Reveals When It Will Reach Double-Digits

Crypto analyst Behdark has predicted that the XRP price can reach $28 This prediction follows his Elliot Wave theory analysis, which also showed when the crypto will reach this double-digit price

Ethereum Shorts Hit Record High as Market Leverage Soars

Leveraged short positions in ethereum (ETH) have climbed to unprecedented highs, signaling a bearish tilt in market sentiment as traders brace for intensified volatility Ethereum Bears Bet Big as